Tuesday, September 20, 2011

This little New England gal's heart swelled with pride when Bon Appétit named Portland "America's Foodiest Small Town" a couple of year's ago. But as much as I've enjoyed the rise of the local food scene, I'll admit that there still is plenty of open space for top notch ethnic eats. I'll never say no to good hummus and pita and in New York there's both supply and demand aplenty. But authentic, Israeli hummus in Maine? This was something worth checking out...

I spotted the Ariel's Hummus tent at the Freeport Farmer's Market (Fridays from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in Discovery Park by L. L. Bean). Amit Glazer (pictured), Ariel's brother was generously offering samples. The preservative-free, hummus is make with organic chickpeas and a generous pour of olive oil. In addition to the original hummus they also make a Chipotle Cilantro, a green tinged fresh yet spicy twist on the classic dip. Their smooth and satisfying hummus is quickly earning a following. Right now it's distributed at select grocery stores including Freeport's Bow Street Market and Royal River Natural Foods.

Lawman gave two thumbs up to their homemade baklava. Loaded with walnuts and pistachios and cut into bite-sized morsels, he called it a fitting end to a perfect picnic lunch.

They don't have a full website yet, but you can keep tabs on them by liking Ariel's Hummus on Facebook.